A metallic cake form pan is one of the standard kitchen accessories used for baking cakes. Such pans are typically of a solid, one piece construction and have dimensions which allow for the baking of a standard 9" round cake. Though rather large and bulky, it is not uncommon for a home baker to have at least two cake-form pans on hand; one for flat cakes and one for tube cakes.
For as long as one piece cake-form pans have been in existence, there have been numerous problems associated with removing cakes from these pans once the baking process is completed. Various kitchen utensils can be used to help pry the cake away from the pan and onto a serving plate, but such a method often results in damage to the cake. To assist in this regard, non-stick sprays have been developed which improve the separation process and help to reduce excessive cracking and crumbling. Even so, this cake removal process is often like a juggling act whereby the baker must invert, loosen and somehow guide the cake from the cake pan onto a serving plate.
More recently, cake-form pans have been developed which pull apart and expose a portion of the baked cake for easier removal. However, the detachable aspects of these cake pans still dictate that the entire pan assembly be somewhat bulky or complex. Indeed, most of these devices include hinges, screw mechanisms or some other detailed apparatus. In essence, even these current detachable cake pan assemblies require a baker to pry at least part of a cake away from the outer edges of the pan and to flip it over onto a serving plate.
In light of the complexities, costs and/or limitations associated with the cake-form pans which currently exist on the market today, what is still needed is a relatively simple, inexpensive, multi-purpose cake pan which allows for the easy and quick removal of a baked cake. Such a multi-purpose baker's aid should provide all the benefits of a standard, one-piece cake-form and an improved cake removal function over those assemblies which currently exist on the market.